My first movie selection of 2020 happened to be The Song of Names. I watch the trailer and read a bunch of reviews. I’ve become accustomed to scouting movies I consider to be out of the circle of my interests. This film featured two great actors, was centred around classical music and seemed like a good childhood rivalry.
Well, I was utterly wrong about everything. This two-hour movie was a terrible choice and was painful to sit through. I won’t even take away any points for the back and forth storytelling (an angle I personally hate) because there would be no points left for a score.
The subject material ties into the Holocaust and World War II, which is always a touchy subject. However, Tim Roth and Clive Owen could have chosen a different story to tell. This one had potential, I really liked how the boys grew up together and were both musical geniuses, but the way the future panned out was rough on everyone, including me as I watch it.
The writers had good intentions because this story deserved to be told. I had no clue what the Song of Names really meant. Now that I know, I could have come up with probably a dozen other ways to honour the Jewish tradition. This movie wouldn’t have been one of them. 1/10
Ten Stars or Less 